FC Botoșani

Botoșani
Full nameAsociația Fotbal Club Botoșani
Nicknames
  • Botoșănenii (The Botoșani People)
  • Roș-alb-albaștri (The Red, White, and Blues)
  • Moldovenii (The Moldavians)
Short name
  • Botoșani
Founded1924; 102 years ago (1924) as Venus Botoșani
2001; 25 years ago (2001) as FC Botoșani
GroundMunicipal
Capacity7,782
OwnerValeriu Iftime
PresidentMarian Ignat
Head coachMarius Croitoru
LeagueLiga I
2024–25Liga I, 12th of 16
Websitefcbt.ro
Current season

Asociația Fotbal Club Botoșani (Romanian pronunciation: [botoˈʃanʲ]), commonly known as FC Botoșani or simply Botoșani, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Botoșani, Botoșani County, that competes in the Liga I, the top tier of Romanian football.

After several predecessor clubs and years of instability for the football scene in Botoșani, the club managed to materialise in 2001. In 2013, FC Botoșani became the first team from its county to ever be promoted to the top tier of the Romanian league system.[1] It recorded its first European appearance in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League season.[2]

Botoșănenii play in predominantly white home kits, while their away equipment is generally blue. Their home ground is the 7,782-seater Botoșani Municipal Stadium.

History

Predecessors

The first traces of organised football in Botoșani appear just after World War 1, when a team was established in 1919. 5 years later Venus Botoșani was founded, associated with the local Jewish Maccabi sports association. Venus made its first appearance in the Romanian football pyramid in the 1937–38 season, playing amateurishly in the Divizia C East.

Following World War II, the team underwent several name changes: Flamura Roșie ("Red Flame") in 1949, Textila ("The Textile Factory") in 1957, and Unirea ("The Union") in 1963, after which it became a regular presence in Divizia C. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s these names alternated before the team eventually settled on CS Botoșani in 1973. The team subsequently won the 1974–75 Divizia C and achieved its first promotion to Divizia B, although it was immediately relegated. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, the team would oscillate between Divizia C and Divizia B.

In the summer of 1979, CS Botoșani achieved its third promotion to Divizia B, and in the 1979–80 season season, they finished third in the league, the best performance the team had ever managed. After this season, results declined, and the team occupied places near the middle and bottom of the table. After eleven consecutive seasons in Divizia B, the team was relegated. In 1993, the club dropped from Divizia C to the county leagues and was eventually dissolved.

One of Romania's greatest ever players, Nicolae Dobrin, ended his career at CS Botoșani. He played for the team in the 1985–86 season and was also the team manager.[3]

Founding and early years (2001–2013)

After the post-revolutionary period of turmoil and corruption that characterised Romania throughout the 1990s, and several attempts to form a new club - Fotbal Club Botoșani was founded in 2001 by two businessmen, Salavastru and Sfaițer, with support from the local council, and the club started to compete in Divizia C. In the summer of 2004, the club promoted to Divizia B.[4]

In 2005 the president of the Administration Council, Valeriu Iftime, took over the main projects of the club after the French model. Therefore, the first team played in Divizia B, the second team, formed with youngsters, played in the third league. Also, the club has a centre for children and youths who are prepared for the future of the first team.[1]

Since the 2005–06 season, the matches of FC Botoșani were transmitted live on the radio, on "Radio AS". Until the beginning of the season, not even a radio station transmitted live. FC Botoșani participated in the second division of the Romanian football for nine consecutive seasons. In the 2005–06 season it finished on the 4th place, which was the highest position obtained until the 2012–13 season, when FC Botoșani won the series and promoted for the first time in Liga 1.[1]

Promotion to the first division and recent history (2013–present)

Chart showing the progress of FC Botoșani's league finishes from their founding in 2001 until present.

The main objective for the 2013–14 season was to avoid relegation. At the start of the season, FC Botoșani was the only first league team that had only Romanian players. FC Botoșani made their debut in Liga I on 21 July 2013, in a 0–0 draw against CFR Cluj, with eight newcomers in a top tier level of the starting eleven and played most of the match with nine-man as Ciprian Dinu received a red card in the ninth minute.[5] The next matchday, on 26 July, saw FC Botoșani netting their first Liga I victory, in a 2–1 away win over Gaz Metan Mediaș.[6] On 25 August, FC Botoșani beat 1–0 FC Vaslui to record their first ever home win in the top tier. However, after this record, Botoșani had a poor run and manager Cristian Popovici was sacked, letting the team on the 12th place, two points above relegation. Leontin Grozavu was named manager and lead the team to a tough fight to avoid relegation.[7]

FC Botoșani started the next season with two important victories against Astra Giurgiu and Dinamo București, teams that fought for the championship title. At the end of the season they qualified for the first time ever in 2015–16 season of UEFA Europa League, because several clubs failed to obtain UEFA licences.[8] After a 4–4 draw with Viitorul Constanța, Botoșani again finished in eighth place.

On 2 July 2015, FC Botoșani made their debut in European competitions, in the first qualifying round of UEFA Europa League in a 1–1 tie against Spartaki Tskhinvali in the first leg in Botoșani. In the second leg in Georgia, FC Botoșani netted their first European victory in a 3–1 win over Spartaki Tskhinvali to advance to the next round, where they met Legia Warsaw.[2]

After their first qualification in the championship play-offs, FC Botoșani finished the 2019–20 season on the 4th place, thus achieving their best Liga I performance and, once again, qualifying for UEFA Europa League after 5 years since their last participation. They netted a 2–1 away victory against Kazakh side Ordabasy in the first round, before eventually being eliminated by Shkëndija of North Macedonia after a 0–1 home loss in the second round.

Stadium

FC Botoșani plays its home matches at the Botoșani Municipal Stadium. It is located near the centre of the city, has a capacity of 7,782 seats and is equipped with an all-weather running track.[9]

Support

The ultras of FC Botoșani are organized under the name of Dark Hooligans, Renegații and BT Pride.[10]

Rivalries

The main rivalry of Botoșani is with Foresta Suceava, but they recently developed a rivalry with Politehnica Iași.[11]

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

Players

First-team squad

As of 19 February 2026[12][13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  BIH Luka Kukić
3 DF  SVN Michael Pavlovič
4 DF  ROU Andrei Miron (Captain)
5 DF  ROU Răzvan Creț
6 DF  BIH Riad Šuta
7 MF  ROU Sebastian Mailat
8 MF  ANG Aldaír
9 FW  ARG Enzo López
10 FW  MDA Ștefan Bodișteanu
11 FW  ROU Zoran Mitrov
12 MF  NGA Friday Adams
15 MF  ROU Denis Ștefan
17 MF  ROU Ștefan Pănoiu
18 DF  ESP Miguel Muñoz
19 FW  ROU Antonio Dumitru
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 MF  ROU Alexandru Bota (on loan from Universitatea Cluj)
21 MF  BRA Lucas de Vega
22 MF  ROU Andrei Dumitru
23 DF  SEN Djibril Diaw
25 FW  UKR Mykola Kovtalyuk
26 MF  FRA Hervin Ongenda
28 DF  MWI Charles Petro
30 DF  ROU Alexandru Țigănașu (Vice-captain)
33 MF  ROU Gabriel David
37 MF  ROU Mihai Bordeianu (4th captain)
41 FW  ROU Andrei Dumiter
67 MF  ALB Enriko Papa
73 DF  ROU Narcis Ilaș
75 MF  ROU David Ciurel
99 GK  GRE Giannis Anestis (3rd captain)

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
44 DF  BIH Rijad Sadiku

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
77 FW  ROU Alexandru Cîmpanu (to Chongqing Tonglianglong until 31 December 2026)
— GK  ROU Alin Ciobanu (to Cetatea Suceava until 30 June 2026)
— DF  ROU Alberto Brașoveanu (to CSM Sighetu Marmației until 30 June 2026)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ROU George Sorodoc (to Bucovina Rădăuți until 30 June 2026)
— FW  ROU George Gligor (to Politehnica Iași until 30 June 2026)
— FW  ROU Codrin Cărăușu (to Bucovina Rădăuți until 30 June 2026)

Club officials

Records and statistics

European Cups history

Main article: FC Botoșani in European football
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q Georgia (country) Spartaki Tskhinvali 1–1 3–1 4–2
2Q Poland Legia Warsaw 0–3 0–1 0–4
2020–21 UEFA Europa League 1Q Kazakhstan Ordabasy N/a 2–1 N/a
2Q North Macedonia Shkëndija 0–1 N/a N/a
Notes
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round

European cups all-time statistics

As of 17 September 2020
Competition S P W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Europa League 2 6 2 1 3 6 8 −2
Total 2 6 2 1 3 6 8 −2

League history

Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 50 caps for FC Botoșani.

For a list of all former and current FC Botoșani players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:FC Botoșani players.
Romania
Albania
Argentina
Bulgaria
Cameroon
Croatia
Curaçao
France
Germany
Greece
Guinea
Italy
Lithuania
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Syria

Notable former managers

For a list of all former and current FC Botoșani managers with a Wikipedia article, see Category:FC Botoșani managers.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Istorie" [History] (in Romanian). FC Botoșani. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "EXCLUSIV Sărbătoare la Botoșani" [EXCLUSIV Celebrations at Botoșani] (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 28 June 2017. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  3. ^ ""Gâscan" de Botoşani" ["Gâscan" of Botoşani] (in Romanian). ProSport. 22 October 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  4. ^ "FC Botoşani e prima echipă promovată matematic în Liga 1" [FC Botoşani first team to be promoted to Liga 1] (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  5. ^ "BOTOŞANI VS. CFR CLUJ 0 – 0" [BOTOŞANI VS. CFR CLUJ 0 – 0]. soccerway.com. 21 July 2013. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  6. ^ "GAZ METAN MEDIAŞ VS. BOTOŞANI 1 – 2" [GAZ METAN MEDIAŞ VS. BOTOŞANI 1 – 2]. soccerway.com. 26 July 2013. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Leontin Grozavu va schimba stilul si sistemul de joc la Botosani" [Leontin Grozavu will change Botosani play stile] (in Romanian). sptfm.ro. 12 January 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Cine va reprezenta Liga 1 in cupele europene: FC Botosani, in Europa League" [Who will represent Liga 1 in European cups: FC Botosani in Europa League]. hotnews.ro (in Romanian). 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  9. ^ "Prezentare stadion "MUNICIPAL" Botoșani" [Presenting Botoșani "MUNICIPAL" Stadium] (in Romanian). FC Botoşani. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Relacja z trybun: Legia to my!" [Report from the stands: Legia is us!] (in Polish). legionisci.com. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Rivalii FC Botosani au redevenit Politehnica Iasi" [FC Botosani rivals rebecome Politehnica Iasi] (in Romanian). monitorulbt.ro. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Lot jucători" [Players] (in Romanian). FC Botoșani. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  13. ^ "FC BOTOSANI" (in Romanian). Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Board of directors". Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Players and technical staff". Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Boto%C5%9Fani